Call for proper investigation into how Israeli soldiers shot and seriously wounded Palestinian cameraman

Reporters Without Borders wrote to Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak today calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances in which Israeli soldiers shot and seriously injured Palestinian journalist Imad Ghanem on 5 July. The cameraman, who was working for Al-Aqsa TV, the Hamas television station, lost both of his legs as a result of his injuries. “The footage filmed by the other news media present leaves little room for doubt,” the letter said. “Although Ghanem was not wearing any item of clothing with the words ‘Press' or ‘TV' written on it, he was carrying a TV camera and was with a large group of fellow journalists who had come to cover an Israeli army incursion into the Gaza Strip. “In response to our request for information on 6 July, the Israel Defence Forces spokesperson said ‘the images did not clearly identify the origin of the gunfire.' Only a thorough investigation by your department could dispel this doubt. There are many witnesses who could help the investigators in their work. “The spokesperson also insisted on the difficulty of distinguishing journalists from combatants, and claimed that Ghanem was ‘working among the terrorists.' Aside from the ambiguous nature of these allegations and regardless of what one may think of Al-Aqsa TV, the work of journalists in war zones is protected by international laws. In this particular case, Ghanem was shot twice while lying on the ground - injured and without a weapon - next to his camera.” The letter concluded: “Reporters Without Borders has registered at least nine cases of journalists being wounded by Israeli army fire since the start of the year. For the most part, they were injured by shrapnel from stun or tear grenades or by rubber bullets. While the number may be lower than in previous years, it is still nonetheless essential to carry out exhaustive investigations into all incidents involving journalists and to publish the results.”